The May 2010 Kabul bombing occurred on May 18, 2010, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Eighteen people, including five US soldiers and a Canadian soldier, were killed and fifty-two were injured when a NATO convoy was targeted by a Taliban suicide attacker. It was the deadliest attack against NATO forces in Afghanistan since September 2009, when six Italian soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber. Two full colonels and two lieutenant colonels were killed in this attack, making it the deadliest attack against ranking officers in Afghanistan. With this attack, the total number of Americans killed in Afghanistan crossed one thousand. Background President Hamid Karzai had recently returned from a trip to US to gather support for his policy to promote peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. A jirga was planned to discuss methods to promote peace with the tribal elders. A military offensive was also being planned in the Kandahar Province. Shortly before this attack, the Taliban had announced 'Operation al-Fatah', which would target NATO forces, foreign diplomats, contractors and Afghan government. Afghan police had set up several extra security checkpoints this year. In spite of these measures, the bomber was able to drive his vehicle into the city. Attack The bomber, driving a Toyota minivan packed with more than 1600 pounds of explosives, drove into a convoy of American military vehicles moving down the Dar-ul-Aman road at about local time and exploded. The blast created a deep crater in the road near the ruined Darul Aman Palace. The bombing happened during rush hour near the National Assembly of Afghanistan. The blast destroyed 5 US military vehicles and 13 civilian vehicles. Most of the dead were Afghan civilians including women and children in a public bus which was driving past when the explosion happened. Five US soldiers were among the dead. The dead Canadian soldier was identified as Colonel Geoff Parker, originally from Oakville, Ontario. He is the highest-ranked Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan. An American colonel, 2 American lieutenant colonels, 1 Staff Sergeant and 1 Sergeant. The American officers were identified as colonel John M. McHugh, 46, from New Jersey, and lieutenant colonels, Paul R. Bartz, 43, of Waterloo, Wisconsin, and Thomas P. Belkofer, 44, of Perrysburg, Ohio. Staff Sergeant Richard J. Tieman, of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and Sergeant Joshua Tomlinson of Dubberly, Louisiana, were also killed. Responsibility The Taliban took responsibility for the attack. They stated that they had sent a